The answer was pretty definitive: we want justice and we trust our police to do the right thing.
A poll posted on May 30 – five days after the death of Floyd and in the midst of mass rioting and protests all over the U.S. – asked “A Minneapolis police officer has been charged with third-degree murder for the death of George Floyd. Do you agree with the charge?”
The poll referenced charges brought against former officer Derek Chauvin, who was videotaped pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck as he gasped “I can’t breathe” before eventually losing consciousness and dying on camera. Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder before charges were upgraded to second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The other three officers involved were also charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.
The majority of those who responded to the poll got their wish.
More than two-thirds of respondents out of 161 votes, 64 per cent, answered “No, It’s not enough,” while nearly a quarter felt the charges were fair and seven votes claimed Chauvin shouldn’t have been charged at all.
Earlier this week on June 8, the poll question was much simpler.
“Do you trust the police?”
The answer will be heartening for the Moose Jaw Police Service and RCMP – 56 per cent of the 742 votes cast answered “Yes,” while only 27 per cent replied “No” and almost 15 per cent said “It depends.”
The question came out of the continuing Black Lives Matter protests and the regular claims of police brutality and heavy-handedness in U.S. cities. Fortunately, here in the Friendly City, protests and rallies have been peaceful and police have been supportive.
The MooseJawToday.com poll is an unscientific sampling of public opinion intended solely to allow our readers to express themselves on issues of the day. Its findings may not be representative of the general population of Moose Jaw or other areas.
